


In loving memory

by DrH



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-22
Updated: 2012-06-22
Packaged: 2017-11-08 08:28:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/441201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrH/pseuds/DrH
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The double bass was clearly crying. It told the tale of the many childhood games they had used to play together and the many conversations they had had when Gilbert was in his teenage years.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In loving memory

Gilbert took his double bass, waiting for a second before starting his song. This piece of music meant to contain everything he ever felt for his father, his musical mentor, who died just a few months earlier. That was the moment when he decided to enter the Composers' Contest. Despite having been always difficult for him to compose any pieces that were more complex than the average, this time the pain had lead the pen in his hand on the sheet almost unconsciously.

The melody was slow, full of emotions. He felt tension building up inside him. The second refrain came after the second verse with two voices singing. This refrain differed from the first one not only in the number of voices but also in the harmony and the melody: it was a prelude to the solo. He knew he wouldn’t be able to hold back his tears for long, he just prayed that it would be soon over.

The ensemble consisted only of three female voices and a double bass, yet this minimalist setup was covered by the surprisingly rich sound of the different voices. The idea was Gilbert’s alone, his father, a conservative jazz composer had only composed for big bands. He had been well known in the town for decades not only to the judges of the competition but also to everyone else. Gilbert loved his father very much, and this song – which Gilbert planned to only play this one time and never again – was dedicated to his memory. Two verses and two refrains were down, the time for the hardest part has come.

The three girls – two of them holding out the tones, the third one singing only minimally, giving full focus to the double bass – sounded angelic, yet even their painful harmonies faded when Gilbert’s instrument started the solo. The double bass was clearly crying. It told the tale of the many childhood games they had used to play together and the many conversations they had had when Gilbert was in his teenage years. His father had been a true mentor to him in every area of his life be it about music, art, his technical studies or love. He missed him very much, and when the solo hit its aphex, Gilbert was no more able to withhold his tears.

The tears burst out of him as he kept playing yet they could not make his hands shake during the performance. The pain on his face was the true visual resemblance of what was coming from his song. He knew he was racing with time. He had to hold himself if he wanted to finish the song and one final verse was coming.

He didn’t remember how he managed to end the piece, nor did he remember the reaction of the audience. He only came around when his name was called for the second time, announcing him as the winner.


End file.
